The Ohio Valley Conference men’s golf tournament is different from conference tournaments in other OVC sports because there is very little competition between OVC teams during the season.

In sports like basketball, baseball and volleyball, regular season play pits OVC teams against each other at least twice per year before the end-of-the-year tournament.

The same is not true for OVC golf teams. OVC teams face a myriad of opponents in different tournaments throughout both the fall and spring seasons.

Eastern’s men’s golf team has faced Bradley and Evansville, Missouri Valley Conference teams, more often than they have faced some OVC opponents, but they have beaten every OVC team except Jacksonville State at least once this year, including the fall season.

The men’s team was able to see how they stacked up against some OVC teams at the Tennessee State Intercollegiate Tournament from April 9-10. Their third place finish placed them ahead of Tennessee-Martin, Morehead State, Tennessee Tech and Tennessee State, but they finished 28 strokes behind first place Murray State.

The true test of the men’s team competitiveness against fellow OVC schools will come April 22-24 at the O’Reilly OVC Championship held at the Country Club of Paducah in Paducah, Ky.

Eastern head coach Mike Moncel said the men’s team has a chance to win the tournament if the team plays its best golf from top to bottom. He said in the OVC Championship there is little difference among teams and the winner depends on who’s hot.

Austin Peay head coach Kirk Kayden said three or four teams have a good chance to win, but agreed with Moncel it comes down to who is playing well during the three days of the tournament.

Kayden said his team relies on the experience of it seniors that have played for four years. He said it is beneficial that seniors Yoshio Yamamoto, Justin Metzger and Chris Barron have all been through the grind of a college golf season before. All three Governors’ seniors are ranked in the top 15 in the OVC Top 30 stroke average.

Austin Peay’s two best players, however, are junior Grant Leaver and freshman Erik Barnes, ranked No. 2 and No. 3 in the OVC stroke average, respectively.

Barnes was named OVC Co-Golfer of the Week after winning his first career tournament the Arkansas State Indian Classic two weeks ago. Barnes finished at 10 under par; four strokes better than second place.

Kayden said he knew Barnes had the key elements to being a good golfer when he recruited him. He said Barnes is very confident in his game and is also a good putter.

That putting prowess will be needed during the OVC Championships. Both Moncel and Kayden said the greens at the Country Club of Paducah are very difficult.

“The greens are lightning fast with lots of undulation and slope,” Moncel said.

One thing Moncel said he has emphasized in the practices leading up to the OVC Championships is his players’ play around the greens.

“You don’t hit every green in every round,” Moncel said. “We’re going to focus on our short game, and after that we’re going to focus on our short game. When we’re done with that, we’re going to focus on our short game,” he said semi-jokingly.

Moncel said he would rely on senior Anthony Imburgia during the OVC Championship. In his last three tournaments, Imburgia has finished in first, second and fifth place.

Moncel said he expects good rounds from Imburgia because he is the best putter on the team.

Imburgia finished second by one stroke at the Missouri State Invitational, Moncel said, after missing a 10-inch putt on the last hole.

“It was not so much a physical problem, but a mental lapse,” Moncel said.

Eastern Kentucky is looking to defend its 2006 OVC Championship victory and is primed to do so with its entire team back from last year.

Colonels’ head coach Pat Stephens said he attributed this year’s success to starting at a higher level than last year. He said his team is very competitive with eight or nine guys competing in qualifying rounds to represent the team at tournaments.

The competition among the team has led to competitiveness at tournaments, Stephens said.

Stephens said the OVC Championship is different from other tournaments because his team doesn’t face other OVC very often and the level of play in the OVC is high.

“The parity in the conference is getting closer and closer,” Stephens said. “When we all get together for the championship there is some added pressure because a spot in the NCAA Regional is up for grabs.”

Stephens said the Country Club of Paducah would be a challenging course. He said the finishing holes on the back nine are very difficult, and a golfer can’t get away with a wayward shot. He also said he is stressing the short game at practice.

“That’s going to save us when our ball-striking is down,” Stephens said.

Stephens said Tennessee Tech golfer Scott Stallings is one of the best golfers in the OVC and could carry his team to the end.

Stallings leads the OVC in stroke average at 71.1 and has won three tournaments this year. He has five other top 10 finishes this season as well.

Tech head coach Bobby Nichols said Stallings hits the ball a long way and his short game has improved tremendously.

“He hasn’t played bad yet anywhere,” Nichols said.

OVC School Top Men’s Golfer Scoring Average OVC Rank

Austin Peay Grant Leaver 71.4 2

Eastern Illinois Anthony Imburgia 74.1 T20

Eastern Kentucky Shaun McConnell 72.3 6

Jacksonville State Daniel Willett 71.8 T3

Morehead State Matt Gann 72.5 T7

Murray State Michael Craft 73.6 15

Samford Reed Davis 73.0 T10

Tennessee State Adam Gruber 74.0 T18

Tennessee Tech Scott Stallings 71.1 1

Tennessee-Martin Robert Lents 74.4 26